World curry event begins in Britain

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Thousands of people have converged in Leeds to savour the spicy and sumptuous fare dished out by the three-day World Curry Festival, an event that celebrates Britain’s love affair with Indian food over centuries. The curry, as it is cooked and served here, is a British invention, but has roots in India.
It was Patna-origin Sake Dean Mahomed who began selling Indian-style dishes from his Hindoostane Coffee House in Portman Square, London, in 1810.
The inaugural festival was also held in Leeds last year to mark the 200th anniversary of curry’s arrival in Britain.
Several chefs are participating in the event in Victoria Gardens, including Hemant Oberoi of the Taj, Mumbai, often described as the “world’s greatest curry chef”.
Now in its second year, the festival has been sponsored by the British army, with soldiers cooking thousands of dishes of curry and selling them to avid food lovers to raise funds for the welfare of soldiers.
“The line up keeps getting more exciting by the day. Every chef who is appearing in our cooking theatre has something unique to offer. It’s not just about Asian food either, Barrington Douglas has a fantastic take on Caribbean curries and we have some of the UK’s very best vegetarian curry chefs on board too,” Zulfi Karim, festival director, said.
“If you love curry then this is one event you simply can’t afford to miss,” he added.
Hemant Oberoi is billed as one of this weekend’s attractions at the festival, with local organisers making it known that he prepared a meal for US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle during their recent visit to India.
There are over 12,000 Indian restaurants in the UK employing nearly 100,000 workers.